Belonging

Badgered -Severus Snape-

- Severus Snape-

Monday Afternoon

What an exceptionally awful first day back for Severus Snape. First he had not slept because his ears had bothered him all night. When he went to speak to Poppy about it in the morning he found her already in conference with a student. He hadn't wished to interrupt so he had left in favour of breakfast.

His appetite was running rampant in a most irritating way. He was never full. He was always fluctuating between peckish and ravenous. His belly was sticking out uncomfortably and still it growled like it had not been fed.

More than that, his ears were getting steadily worse and at lunch when he tried some potions from his stores. He found the pain reliever barely took the edge off the pain. He attempted to see Poppy again only to get a note that she was in a meeting with Albus.

Now it was dinner, he was starving again in spite of having two of his usual lunch portions, and he had received a note from Minerva that she was calling a Head of House meeting. What dunderhead had fucked up so badly that they were gathering the heads for it? Just expel the waste of space and move on. All heads meeting, indeed. In the middle of dinner on the first night back. Atrocious.

He fairly stomped up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. He was used to people thinking he was in a foul mood. If his usual mood was foul then this mood was 'gone sour'. It was not fit for human consumption. His ears were throbbing like beacons.

When he opened the door to Albus's office he expected a rush of activity, anger bouncing around, two students, one with at least a broken limb. Instead he saw his other three heads of houses all cooing around one student with all her limbs, not on fire, and it just irked the fuck out of him.

"Someone had better be dead," He growled, immediately regretting it because someone could very well have been dead. He just did not know yet. Curse these ears for making him unreasonably angry.

"Come in, Severus. Thankfully, no deaths to report." Albus said lightly. He twinkled at him cheerily which made Severus all the more angry. He wished they would just come out with it. Why were they all not at dinner? Was this girl pregnant? That would warrant a meeting but surely not one so urgent.

"Severus... We have an interesting situation on our hands..." Minerva began, her tone was rather gutless for her usual brave self. He reigned in his anger and beconned her to go on, using just a quizzical but likely impatient looking eyebrow raise. "Miss Watson is experiencing the first symptoms of the mating bond..." Minerva's eyebrows went up and her head tipped forward and Severus knew he was supposed to guess the rest and he hadn't a clue.

"To whom?" He asked. "A Slytherin?"

"Yes. I believe it is a Slytherin." Minerva's mouth pinched, she looked over at Albus and practically rolled her eyes. Is there a joke he was not in on?

"Can you make your point within this century?" He asked sarcastically.

"Very well." She retorted, drew her wand and was blowing wind in his face before he could defend himself from her attack.

"Minerva, have you gone mad?" He put his hand up to block the wind from her wand but when the wind stopped me looked around at all the open mouthed faces. "What!?" He yelled.

"Your ears, Severus. They are glowing pink." Albus announced with a small smile.

"And your appetite is out of control." Minerva adds.

"Have you been in the catnip? Or you are in a race with Albus to see who can go senile first?" Severus snapped. He noted the girl in question had dropped her head down and she was being quietly comforted by Filius and Pomona.